Quote from Thomas Jefferson

"He hath diffused the glorious light of the Gospel, whereby, through the merits of our gracious Redeemer, we may become the heirs of his eternal glory.... Resolved ... to appoint ... a day of public and solemn Thanksgiving to Almighty God ... that he would grant to his church, the plentiful effusions of divine grace, and pour out his Holy Spirit on all Ministers of the Gospel; that he would bless and prosper the means of education, and spread the light of Christian knowledge through the remotest corners of the earth ... and finally, that he would establish the independence of these United States upon the basis of religion and virtue." Thomas Jefferson